My buddy knocks on the door about the same time each week.
He usually saunters over from next door on a Wednesday afternoon, right after he takes a trip to the dump and recycling depot.
Unless, of course, he falls asleep on the way home.
My buddy is four years old. He’s the grandson of my next-door neighbours, who I’ve known for almost 20 years. They’ve watched my daughters grow up and I watched their sons become fathers.
But my buddy doesn’t care about any of that. He has other things on his mind.
Each week, he knocks confidently on our front door. Then in one swift motion, he takes off his shoes, hangs his coat and heads to the chair by our big picture window to look for birds. We chit-chat while he grabs the oversized binoculars and pours over A Field Guide To Western Birds.
He tells me about what he’s been up to with his grandpa. He asks about my daughters. Then we play a game or two of hide and seek before he’s ready to head home.
Occasionally our conversations move toward deeper subjects. Do bugs have feelings? Why do my girls not live here anymore? Why do some children not have grandparents anymore?
I seem to be hanging out with little people more often these days, even though I am supposed to be entering the empty nest phase of life.
Apparently, I am not alone.
Census results tell us more than 500,000 grandparents live with their grandchildren in Canada. Economic realities means that close intergenerational relationships are here to stay. That’s pretty easy to see when you pass by any elementary school at pick-up time.
This new reality can be challenging – and exhausting. But there are also some positive perks for our kids.
Children are more likely to feel secure in their world when they have supportive adults in their lives. Research shows that these close relationships can help a child’s social and emotional growth – and it’s not so bad for those adults who get to hang out with them either.
I love the time I spend with the youngest people in my life.
• The Ridge Meadows Community Children’s Table will host workshops for parents, caregivers and ECE providers May 6 to discuss other practical ways of increasing a child’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Lynn Easton is with the Ridge Meadows Early Childhood Development
Committee.